The New Shadow
by RTVfan
Summary: A crossover between The Dark Knight, and the Harry Potter series. Takes place about one year after "Dark Knight", and 12 years after "Deathly Hallows".
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

In 1997, Lord Voldemort finally attained victory at the Battle of Hogwarts, where he defeated Harry Potter. Instead of merely killing him, he used a containment spell, where poor Harry could not escape, and worse, was under constant pain and disorientation. Even worse than that, he could not die, and thus, Voldemort could not die. He stormed Hogwarts, and awaiting he and his Death Eaters was the full fury of Dumbledores Army and the Order of the Phoenix. Despite being the most powerful wizard in history, the sheer rage and determination of those who ever cared about freedom from tyranny and evil, kept him at bay, and the Death Eaters were forced to flee. With no hope as Harry Potter was presumed dead, rebellion en masse against the powers that be began, and so started the Wizarding Civil War. Wizarding families began leaving the country in floods, as the war become unbearable to live under. The final stroke perhaps was the total destruction of Diagon Alley between 3 different fronts. The Weasleys were among those who left, and grief hung over every one of them as they retreated from Ottery St. Catchpole, their only ever home.

With an unshakable interest in muggle culture and especially in their technology, Arthur relocated his family to Gotham City in the United States, which aside from being a major port, financial center and media capital, was home to Wayne Enterprises, which was a technology boon. Arthur got a job in the WayneTech division, and managed to fool CEO William Earle and all the lower level suits that he was a physicist, as well as a research engineer. Obviously he knew very little about even the most basic muggle devices, but through a little magic and quick thinking, he managed to get his job done competently. Ginny convinced her parents that she need not finish her magical education despite the numerous magical schools and academies across the country., because she was a charter member and veteran of Dumbledores Army. Percy had decided not to rejoin his family, but he did leave the Ministry, eventually relocating to France where there was a low Death Eater population. He visits his family on birthdays and holidays.

Their official address was smack in the middle of Gotham, but the Weasleys actually lived in an abandoned mansion on the outskirts of the city, which is enchanted to make their presence undescribed to muggles. About a year after the Weasleys got settled in, Hagrid came along to join them. Hogwarts became filled with pureblood propaganda, the landscape became bleak and ugly, and most of the families that didn't or couldn't flee chose to home school their children instead of going to an awful place full of life. "How ironic, said Hagrid,"that a fella who believed in wizard superiority ended up destrying the whole country, that monstrous bastard." With a heavy heart, Hargrid moved to Gotham, building another ramshackle hut beside the mansion(By choice, for privacy reasons and also not to intrude), and he also took along Fang, Buckbeak, and a few other creatures to keep him company. His home and animal friends were also kept from muggle sight. Hagrid eventually put his half giant heritage and bulky frame to good work, as a warden at Arkham Asylum.

Hermione Granger also left Britain after Harrys seeming demise. She was in a state of shock, and nearly suffered an emotional collapse after she realized the weight of what happened. She went to Australia, hitch- apparating with misguided tourists as her magic was not strong enough to apparate so far a distance, and portkeys were could be tapped. When she found her parents, she undid the memory modification she performed on them and came clean with everything that had happened. She told them that it was too dangerous to go back home, and that they should warn everyone that they care about that doom was coming to Great Britain. She also said she wanted to spend half the time with them if it was still ok, and half the time with the Weasleys. She did this out of altruism and out of loyalty, but she also came to terms for her love for Ron. She received a message from Mr. Weasley that they were relocating to Gotham, and eventually Hermione found them and decided to live with them for awhile. Her and Ron began "officially" dating soon after. She also enrolled at Gotham University, where she of course was at the top of all her classes and had a double major in nanotechnology and medicine. She also continued to study magic on the side through whatever texts she could salvage(A number of Dumbledores Army remained in the area surrounding Hogwarts, including Neville, who is now an Order member, so she could get them smuggled to her). She became one of the most powerful witches of her generation, rivaling Dumbledore and even Voldemort in raw power.

In 2004, Ron and Hermione got married. In 2007 a mysterious muggle vigilante known as "Batman" became big news in Gotham, and rescued the city by an attack from terrorists, including the head of Arkham Asylum, Dr. Jonathan Crane. No one, not even the magical Weasleys , nor Hermioneor Hagrid could figure out who Batman was. Also, Bruce Wayne returned to Gotham after a seven year absence and regained control of his birthright, handing the CEO position to Lucius Fox. In 2008, an insane terrorist known as The Joker terrified the entire city, murdering officials, blowing up hospitals, and disfiguring, both physically and mentally, the high profile District Attorney Harvey Dent. Dents murder was eventually leaked out to be an act of self defense by Police Commissioner Jim Gordon to protect his family, in spite of a city wide manhunt against Batman who was accused of dents murder as well as several others.

Ron, for a short while, both out of emulation of Batman and out of a thirst for adventure, became a vigilante. He flew back home to England and recklessly caught a couple of random Death Eaters for the Order, and also attempted to root out The Joker in Gotham, but was convinced to back down by his family and also by Hermione, fearing for his life. Even magical folk were terrified of the mad Joker.

CHAPTER 1

Pounding footsteps let him know he was coming. The door quickly opened, and the massive, bearded, Goliath like warden who called himself Rubeus Hagrid was standing there. He had a swagger in his stance and a sort of arrogance that he usually didn't have.

"Evening, Rubeus."

"Shut up your muggle face, you have a visitor."

"I have a feeling you aren't who you say you are."

Hagrid hocked up phlegm and spat on the Jokers face.

"Now I know you aren't who you say you are."

"SHUT YOUR FUCKING MUGGLE MOUTH! HE'LL BE HERE ANY SECOND!" Hagrids shout was so loud that it woke up several patients and caused a ruckus.

Soon the corridor gave way to a man wearing an emerald green cloak. Hagrid opened the door and let him inside the cell.

The man took off his cloak, and revealed himself to have a long white mane of hair, piercing eyes and the same air of utter condensation and arrogance that Hagrid had seemingly just acquired. He looked quite old, but there were no blemishes or tell tale signs, this suggests he must have had cosmetic surgery.

"Greetings Joker, do you have any idea who I am?"

"You are probably a low level henchman of the man who calls himself 'The Dark Lord'."

"What? How dare you insult the noble house of Black? Though a muggle like you would have no idea what that is anyway. And where do you get off calling the most powerful wizard in history in such rude terms?"

"I know a lot more than you think buddy. And Voldemorts really small potatoes. Before he won, Harry Potter defeated him at every turn, even when he was a baby. Batman would make mincemeat out of him."

Lucius held back a laugh. The Joker was clearly insane. Aside from his slurred speech pattern and sociopathic tendencies, the thought that a mere muggle, even a highly trained one, could defeat Voldemort or most wizards for that matter was laughable.

"Besides, the very fact that you are kidnapping me shows that Voldemort is weak. A sign of a decaying society is when a ruler hires mercenaries."

"You will help us, one way or another." Lucius and his son Draco, who was under the effects of polyjuice potion, both pointed their wands at him.

"You'll just have to imperio or posess me. Youre not talented enough to do possession, are you?" The Joker spoke in an almost demonic tone.

"GOOD IDEA. IMPERI…WHAT THE BLOODY HELL WAS THAT?!" Lucius' wand was sliced in half by something that fell on the floor, a blackpiece of alloy that was shaped like a bat.

Hagrid(really Draco) pointed and shouted "THERE HE IS!", but his wand was cut in half as well by another shooting batarang. A dark figure hanging from a high rail came crashing down, wearing a mouth mask and spraying some sort of mist.

Lucius and Draco attempted to flee, but were immediately knocked out by the sleeping potion. So was the Joker, but he had enough time to sarcastically shout his praise before being knocked out as well.

Batman stood over the two unconscious wizards, and he drew a needle from some recess of his. He injected the burly warden with some sort of serum made up by Lucius Fox to accelerate the effects of polyjuice potion. He soon shriveled into a blonde, lanky man in his late twenties or early thirties. He carried both captives out of the Jokers cell, locked the door, and exited out of the front with most of the patients watching him. Waiting outside was Lucius Fox, the CEO of Wayne Enterprises.

"Are you ready?", he asked with a smile

"Yes", said Batman in what Lucius thought was an annoyingly low register.

"Alright, then lets get these guys locked up." Batman held on to Lucius Malfoy and Draco Malfoy in his arms, held Foxes hand, and in the blink of an eye they disapparated out of the Narrows.


	2. Chapter 2

Three Months Earlier

To celebrate the summer solstice, actually, for no real reason at all, the richest man in Gotham decided to throw a party in his swanky penthouse. Security was tightened, overseen by management and Bruce Wayne himself, after that frightening encounter with the Joker last year. The party was a rousing success, as the patrons were either too self absorbed to notice or were too apathetic to care about the release on appeal of a mass flood of career criminals. Sal Maroni was dead as the result of an insane Harvey Dent(no mention was made of his insistence on being called "Two-Face"), as well as several others which included police officers. Bruce Wayne looked to be in good spirits, he was seen talking with Coleman Reese, the man whose life was ransomed by the Joker on live TV, who laimed he knew the identity of the Batman, and may be the witness of a federal inquiry concerning which.

Bruce had had this party actually to test its resistance to further intrusion. When the last freeloader left, Bruce and his butler, almost surrogate father, Alfred Pennyworth, swept the penthouse for any signs of surveillance. Nothing was found, not even with the DARPA quality sensors all around the premises.

"What should I do with this bottle of Taittinger Brut, sir?"

"I suppose I could give it to Lucius."

"Yes sir. So you will be attending a meeting with him and Mister Mittal?"

"I wouldn't be so gracious to Lakshmi, but yes, I guess I'll have to attend. Then I'll be at another summer movie premiere."

"Master Wayne, I can see you are still upset over Ms. Ramirez."

"No, I'm bothered by the…consequences, but of course I can't blame her."

"Yes, there is too much efficiency in this day and age for Mister Dents image not to go unabated for long."

Bruce shook his head. He was deep in thought; he always was despite him hiding it well.

Bruce gave his goodbyes to Alfred, and then he went inside the helicopter waiting outside which traveled to the airport.

Bruce flew the jet himself and landed in Heathrow in good time. He hopped into his classic Hispano Suiza, and headed to another vapid party(the meeting was rescheduled for the next day). It was quite enjoyable to be among some people whom he considered his friends, but as with anyone who has the weight of the world on their shoulders, he still felt a sense of isolation, a feeling which he couldn't shake since his parents were murdered right in front of him. Witty conversation here, excessive intake of substances there (Bruce tried his best to mitigate these undesirable variables in his life whenever possible). Many people sense an air of mystery around Bruce Wayne, but that too is mitigated when they actually get to know the man. He is generous, compassionate, friendly, but without a hint of pretentiousness either, which is good.

Bruce almost choked when he met Christopher Nolan, who he heard wanted to direct a movie based on the Batman. He asked Chris, "Where do you get your source material from?"

"Oh, mostly from the newspaper articles I read and the expose they did on the Joker, I try not to read the fanboy blogs. I hope Scorsese doesn't get it, the source material is right up his alley. He grew up in Gotham too you know."

Bruce laughed, "I'm surprised that Batman isn't a comic book superhero. His costume is menacing enough."

"Actually, it is funny because there was supposed to be a character just like that by some bloke, oh what was his name, Bob Kane. You know, the guy who invented The Immortal? He and Bill Finger had a superhero almost EXACTLY like Batman, but then he was sued for being too much in likeness to The Shadow."

Bruce gulped. "Yeah, I heard of him. His origin was a millionaire who took the law into his own hands.

"Yup". Chris looked at him quizzically. "Hey, you'd fit the bill, you even look a little like Christian Bale."

"So I'm told." He said the resemblance was uncanny. I could see him being Batman."

Suddenly Chris was pushed to be interviewed by some people, maybe "The Times", maybe TMZ for all Bruce knew. "See ya later Bruce!"

Bruce waved his goodbye, and walked through the crowd.

How ironic, the party Bruce was at was the London premiere of "Luke Cage". It was a solid and agreeable effort, despite the absence of Iron Fist. An invitation to another party was taken up, and Bruce also had an enjoyable time, but he could not stomach the vapidness of this lifestyle. He was compelled to leave. It was 2 AM, and he found his Hispano Suiza exactly where he left it. He was going to go to his London home in Wimbledon Village. On the way there, something entirely out of the ordinary happened.

"Hello Bruce."

If it was any other person, they would of crashed the car, but this was Bruce Wayne who frightens even the hardest of criminals, and he merely stalled a little bit. Lucius Fox had suddenly appeared in the passengers seat.

"How did you do that?" Bruce was concerned, but he hid it well.

"It's easy when you're a wizard." Lucius laughed. "I didn't realize how bad this country has gotten over the last decade. Relax, I'll tell you everything when you get inside, if I may be invited of course."

Bruce immediately noticed the wand in Lucius' hand. If he could appear and disappear at will then he likely would have other powers as well. Lucius Fox was a genius, he wouldn't just appear without some sort of ace up his sleeve.

Bruce parked near the curb and the village was still somewhat busy.

"Ah, the weather is nice this time of night", said Lucius, enjoying the breeze.

"So, you were hiding things from me as well."

"Well, yeah, but not for the same reasons." His face suddenly became more concerned. "If you will", Lucius said as he nudged his shoulder towards the door.

"You really have a nice home, but a little humble for Bruce Wayne I'd say."

"The extravagances are just a cover, friend. So tell me all about actual magic."

"Well I think you should take a seat for this one. Oh, and thanks for the champagne."

"Don't mention it", said Bruce as he sat on a comfortable couch.

Lucius grabbed a stool from the adjacent bar and sat parallel to Bruce.

"OK, here it goes. There is a society of witches and wizards who have an entirely separate society from "muggles", that is a slur for non magical folk. Magic is all around us, there are creatures, plants and, institutions and literature. Through enchantments, they are hidden from peoples eyes, and no one knows these wizards exist, and if they do, their memory is wiped of the encounter."

Bruce wondered if his memory had ever been wiped.

"I'm a wizard, and so is most of my family. I didn't appreciate all the blatant prejudice against muggles though. Clearly we didn't have to deal with racism like most people in those days, but I saw it, and encountered it, there aren't that many wizards mind you so we are scattered, especially in the United States. We are more individualistic than anybody. So I got up and left when I turned 17 and entered real society."

"So you just whipped up some false records and went to MIT that way."

"Exactly. I haven't used magic in 40 years mind you, but tonight something happened that made me change my mind. I was inspired by you Mister Wayne." Lucius smiled warmly.

"I'm listening." Bruce's mind worked on an entirely different level than most peoples, he was certifiably a genius by even the harshest of standards. He already had a good idea of wizarding culture and how it worked.

"There are a group of wizards and witches who I would consider terrorists, they are run by a VERY evil man. I can't actually say his name, it is literally cursed. Saying it will draw attention to here, but the group he leads are called the Death Eaters. Tonight I was accosted by one of them."

"Is this why the meeting with Lakshmi Mittal was cancelled?"

Lucius nodded.

"Yes, I was having breakfast at a place in East London, trust me, it is worth going to, and afterwards I decided to take a walk. I'm a wizard, what should I be afraid of? Then I saw a pair of Death Eaters, I could see the signifying mark that Death Eaters have on them, they were about to rape this young woman, probably a muggle, when I shot a protego charm at them. That puts a defensive bubble between them and the woman, so she could get away. I got into a duel with them, but I sent a beacon call becase I'm damn old (laughter), but then the authorities came. Lucky me, it was my brother, who is an auror. They are the closest thing to a wizard James Bond you will get."

Bruce nodded.

"So this, dictator, only has a presence around Britain?"

"Yes, but only because so many people oppose him. He is THE most powerful wizard in history, so powerful in fact that he is an immortal."

"How did he attain it?", asked a mystified Bruce

"Through horcruxes. They are objects you can store a piece of your soul after you murder someone. Mister V, that's as far as I'll go, he has one left, but he used to have six. So he literally had seven lives. An you handle a story? Alright, about 12 years ago, there was a boy named Harry Potter who was destined through a prophecy to battle him. When Harry was just a baby, well let's just call him what he wants to be called, "The Dark Lord", for semantics sake. The Dark Lord was going to murder Harry because he heard of the prophecy. Harrys father was killed quickly, but his mother defended Harry until The Dark Lord had "no choice" but to kill her too. The compassion of his parents "triggered" a magical barrier around Harry from harm, this barrier comes from people who sacrifice themselves for others, and when the Dark Lord tried to kill him, the curse rebounded. He wasn't defeated, but he became a kind of vapor, and stayed in hising until Harry was 11. Harry had a piece of the Dark Lords soul inside him, so Harry was an accidental horcrux. So the only way for the Dark Lord to die was for Harry to die. So Harry was drawn to die, but instead he was kidnapped, and he was put under a spell so he can never die, or retaliate, and also, the Dark Lord cannot die."

Bruce absorbed this mouthful. Not a very superstitious man, his entire world was turned upside down with the fact that he now knew that magic was real.

"Has anyone ever found Harry Potter?"

"No, and Britain is all the worst because of it. People die every day just to keep the Death Eaters in check. The magical world is in a Civil War to be frank about it."

"Can magic be attained?" Bruce wondered, it would never hurt to have contingincies for all possible situations.

"I'm afraid not, at least not use it. But "muggles" can learn to make magical potions. It is an entire science and art form in itself, and I know you like to keep busy. With potions, you could get your job done much faster."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Would you have believed me?"

"I'm trusting you on one sole act of magical relocation."

"Well I haven't met a single magical person since I have lived in Gotham, I am from Tennessee. "

"I would like to learn about potions, and wand lore. I bet there is a lot to learn about the consistency of wands."

Lucius smiled again. "That's the ticket."

Bruce was shocked at what he had heard tonight, but he accepted this reality as fact.

The next three months, in addition to hi responsibilities as Bruce Wayne and also as The Dark Knight, were devoted to magical potions and wizard education.

Lucius could apparate wherever he wanted to, and he also had a flying motorcycle.

"The Albertus Magnus Institute, my old alma mater. Bruce was passed off as a "squib", a non magical person in a wizarding family.

"I'm an orphan", Bruce said to the suspicious Dean of the school. "And I had amnesia."

"Old text books." Lucius drew out every potion making book and magical academic text in the vast library of the academy. At Bruce's secret bunker in Gotham, magical plants, animals, roots and otherwise were imported for his personal use. Befitting America, there was no law such as the one in Britain where muggle heads of state must be notified of such things. Bruce doubted the current president. would understand the basic concepts of potion making anyway. Bruce was driven. The tale of Harry Potter sounded so similar to his own, and the more he read about him for various sources, reputable or not, the more he wanted him to be rescued.

"Hey Al, this is my friend Bruce Wayne, he wants to wrestle your erkling. He needs some of its earwax!"


	3. Chapter 3

"So who do we got?"

"Nobody here in Gotham, there aren't too many of us down here. The American League has a national tournament in May, and if they are in the World Series, that's in October. I'd say the best teams you have are the Fitchburg Finches and the San Diego Succubi, that's an all female team. But there's this really underrated team in Connecticut called the Hartford Hodags, their seeker is Albion Brewer. He's a good bloke that I've met a few times."

"Who's won the most?"

"Here or all over?"

"All over."

"Well the Woollongong Warriors, are fuckin' mad men. You think soccer hooligans are bad, try being shot up intothe exosphere by a mad chaser. I was in bed for weeks."

The very thought of being shot into the exosphere and still living to tell about it was too much to take in, so the middle aged alcoholic who Ron speaking with dropped the subject. Then he took another gulp of his drink, while Ron noticed how similar this bar in lower Gotham was to The Hogs Head. It was dingy, yet still very modern. There was streaming feeds of holographic news on the right hand wall, a miracle device similar to a pensieve, thought Ron.

"So what's the nature of magic anyway? Is it from a deity, or from some energy source?"

Ron got the wand out of his pocket. "Listen, I've got to go, mate. It's been nice talking to you. Novo Memoria"

It was always like this. Whenever Hermione left to meet Neville or had something important thing to do, Ron got lonely and haunted the streets of Gotham, striking up conversations with people, always muggles, about things. They may be important inquiries, they may be frivolous discussions about Quidditch. Then he had to alter their memories afterward. Ron thought it was for their own good really. They can't get mixed up in the War. The past 12 years have been utter hell for the Wizarding World. The straw that broke the camel's back was defiantly the loss of Harry, God bless him wherever he was, but the knife the gutted the camel was when the Chudley Cannons finally made it to the Quidditch World Cup last year, Ron had been saving up the money to get nice seats and everything, when it was cancelled by those motherfucking cunt Death Eaters. How Ron loathed them. He went outside the bar to admire the perfect September night. The bright full moon that is bright enough to provide reading light in the Arctic, the bluish hue that is wondrous to behold at Hogwarts, and in a way, still gorgeous even with Gotham's skyline. He saw his brother George light magical fireworks across the night sky, because he was still as reckless as ever. The only thing Ron didn't see was Batman, that dark figure that tries to bring peace and justice to the city. He was listless, what would he do with himself now?


	4. Chapter 4

The side along apparation charm that Lucius performed felt very tight and uncomfortable to Bruce, but of course he had been through much worse, things that need not be re-recorded here. Fortunately the tight squeezing sensation lasted only a second or two. The four men(including the prisoners) landed on top of huge slab of rock, slowly sinking into the North Sea, yet still holding up the massive building that looked like an exaggerated rook.

Lucius stated, "So this is Azkaban. I don't know exactly how effective it is anymore since the dementors abandoned the place. It now functions a lot like a regular prison now with wizard guards taking shifts, you can imagine how hard it is must be on these people's families. There are of course anti disapparation measures that they just took down now for us to get here easier. You can see the weathers hell, you know?"

A man slowly walked out the front door. He was a bald, black wizard with an earring and an impressive build.

"Kingsley, how nice to see you. Ministry business?"

"Yes, and I'm also on reserve. This is a pretty high profile capture." He nudged his direction towards Lucius Malfoy and Draco. "Draco especially. We have been trying to get him for years. 30 muggles, all dead because of him. He's nothing but a spoiled brat."

Lucius suddenly turned towards Batman. Suprisingly, he gave a deep bow.

"I am honored by your presence sir. News spreads quickly, and you are honored amongst our population as well as your own."

"Lucius told me. Ra's Al Ghul was a wizard himself, but I didn't kill him. I left him for dead, and if he has created a horcrux, then he is still alive."

"Noone other then, _him _("You Know Who" doesn't apply to muggles), has made more than one horcrux. Ra's Al Ghul s horcrux has already been destroyed, and he is not in _his_ league, power wise or dare I say, evil wise."

Bruce winced, but not on the surface. Murder was murder to him.

"How long will it take for the Order to infiltrate the Death Eaters?"

"It already is infiltrated. Success has been nil. Our search for Harry Potter is leading us nowhere."

Kingsley didn't want to mention that the Order was pretty much over, the Civil War has fragmented the anti Death Eater crowd into many different segments , and frequently they were militant. They all knew this. In addition to tech and magic support, Bruce also received frequent updates on the wizarding world from Lucius. Luckily, the wizarding world in America was still pretty much neutral in world affairs, as many of the wizarding immigrants were themselves just trying to get away from it all.

Two guards had already seized the Malfoys wands and were bringing them to their cells when another guard ran out. He was out of breath. He looked a little funny when he glanced at Bruce in full gear.

"Sirs, there is a chase going on across the Atlantic coast in the state of New Jersey, according to intelligence it is several Death Eaters being chased by Neville Longbottom and two other unidentifiables. The Death Eaters have a muggle hostage."


	5. Chapter 5

Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom were having another one of their dire conversations on the rooftop of an abandoned London home. The starlight washed over them as they lamented over the loss of one of their friends, Luna Lovegood, by an unknown Death Eater. Neville pointed at all the checkpoints set up by Lord Voldemort, every 1000 yards to inspect possible subversives. The Order has an elaborate array of countermeasures against this, which Neville isn't allowed to mention, but what Hermione is good enough to guess at. The wizarding homes, being magically shrouded from muggle eyes, were a ghetto of burnt out houses and fallen dreams. Suddenly, across the sky was a man on a magic carpet. Hermione was bemused, as her thorough knowledge of magical law knew that the Ministry once banned flying carpets.

After the cross examination process, the urgent newsman, around age 20 and named Alan Brookshire ,gave news that a group of Death Eaters had broken out an inmate of Arkham Asylum in Gotham. Unbeknownst to the DEs, they each were tagged by the Order through Hermione's homing devices that she magically charmed to be unnoticeable to them. She was an unofficial consultant to the Order, which she kept secret from Ron.

"But what about the Malfoys?"

"Captured by an unknown vigilante."

Hermione shouted, "Batman"?

Alan said, "Perhps. He then apparated to Azkaban."

Was Batman a wizard himself, thought Hermione?

Neville inquired, "Have the DEs already apparated out?"

"No, they are part of 'The Dark Lords Own Scottish Borderers', which is made up of several dozen draftees. So they are using a portkey."

Neville immediately got a piece of parchment out of his coat pocket. He wrote a hasty letter explaining that he had to leave right away, and then signed it with a magically protected signature that can't be forged. 'Give this to Kingsley. Come on Hermione, you can lead the way'.

"Ok, hold on tight", then they both apparated across the vast ocean back to the Weasley home.

"Ronny! George!, both shouted while running through the dark mansion. They found Arthur in his study, staring at the sky.

"Arthur", Hermione said a little out of breath, "You have to help, I think Hagrid is in danger. There are Death Eaters at Arkham!"

The color went out of his face. His grabbed Hermiones wrist, and they apparated yet again to the Narrows. The bridge connecting the island to the rest of Gotham was in ruins, the members of Voldemorts regiment cocky, flying n the air, shooting curses at anyone on the docks they could find. Most disturbing of all, however, was not the wizards. The Joker was leaning very casually against the front entrance of the hospital, not wearing a hospital outfit but the purple suit that he was seen wearing on television. Not one wizard was guarding him.

Hermione, Neville and Arthur were in straight view, but seemingly weren't seen yet. Hermione yelped, and they reapparated inside Arkham itself.

"We could try an anti diapparation spell", suggested Neville.

"NO, then we will be will be stuck as well, and we can't fend them all off. Why didn't you get backup?!"

"Look", Arthur said as he pointed out the window. They were already leaving, with the Joker in tow.

Hermione and Arthur shouted 'accio' for their brooms as they all ran out of the institution. At astounding speeds, they reached the two of them, Neville already carrying his. They flew into the air to try and prevent the Death Eaters from doing damage or letting the Joker be let loose. The DE's were flying through the city in close formation, apparently waiting for the portkey to let travel to their rendezvous base.

A chase through Gotham City gave way to a chase across the Atlantic Ocean. Curses and countercurses gave way to evasion and maneuvering. Hermione noticed the portkey and tried to magically remove it from the dark haired young man's hand, while the Joker seemed to be just enjoying the ride, his hair in the breeze so to speak. Neville tried to draw him closer in, using a summoning spell, while Arthur used the "oppugno" and "avis" charms in tandem, attacking a few Death Eaters while a flock of angry birds. The wizard carrying the Joker on his back dodged both spells, and gave that sarcastic face where you put both thumbs in your ears and stick your tongue out. Suddenly, all the borderers sped up and gathered in formation, and before Hermione could conjure up an anti disapparation spell, they all disappeared. This gave Hermione time to look down and notice where they were, her encyclopedic knowledge suggesting, Nova Scotia.

The Dark Lord Voldemort was waiting on a throne in the middle of small clearings in the woods of Strathyre, smiling as he noticed his regiment search for him. He clapped, and a golden phoenix flew through the air, squawking, leading them to his feet. The lead in the regiment brought the Joker forward, and he was not the only one. Scattered among him were several other high profile criminals, most notably Ra's Al Ghul and Osama Bin Laden. The Joker laughed as he was kicked in the back, forced to bow to the snakelike dictator.


	6. Chapter 6

Voldemort's cape swirled with the wind, as he looked over the two dozen or so high profile criminals. He was fascinated with muggles, on purely malicious grounds, but fascinated none the less. This project, however, had more to do with his desire to secure power than his hobbies. The Order of the Phoenix had become less and less of a threat over the last 12 years, as anarchy reigned. Most of the people who decided to stay after Harry Potter disappeared were maniacs, many of whom became militants. Most people were sick to death of pure blood hysteria, but there were other dilemmas as were. Obviously the goblin population had torn loyalties, and many openly rebelled against Voldemort's trading policies. Also, despite years of repression, muggle ideologies like communism and other fundamentalist ideas spread. It wasn't so bad in other countries, but in the Dark Lords own country in such a torn state, warlordism and corruption on a level never before seen spread like fiendfyre. It was as if Harry Potter was himself the fulcrum that kept wizard society from collasping under the weight of its own dysfunction(though it was really totalitarianism).

Centaurs also rebelled. The pristine land surrounding Hogwarts became a cesspool, relativly speaking. The overwhelming presence of dementors spoiled the very essence of the land, disenchanting it. The Forbidden Forest was ravaged, every inch of forest destroyed by the Death Eaters, who did so to make sure that there was no cove to hide in. They had little place to go, and many were relatgated to the slums of towns and cities. All of this kept the Dark Lords hands busy, and he was forced to rely on kidnapping muggleborn children for his regiments, to keep "order'. Lately, his efforts have been sucessful, which allowed him opportunity for expansion. He was forced to use muggle help though. To soften the muggle population before Voldemort planned to put his presence in the area, he must create anarchy and disorder. That is why he must rely on terrorists, mercenaries, assassins and other corrosive leaders. Voldemort personally brought down Ra's Al Ghul, the famous 700 year old wizard, which was quite a challenge and personally satisfying to the Dark Lord.

This Joker character, however, was somewhat interesting. Based on intel, the Joker has no interest in wealth, ideology or pleasure. He kills just for the sake of anarchy. His battles with the 'Batman' drew interest in everyone, especially the Dark Lord. He had no idea who he was.

Voldemort bent over and smiled at the Joker.

"Hello sir. I understand that you believe in the utter pointlessness of humanity?"

The Joker just layed on the ground, saying nothing.

"Why do they allow you to wear clown makeup in the hospital? To comfort you?"

The Joker said nothing.

Voldemort waved a sentry over, who was carrying a magical staff that was embued with cruciatus jolts. Each pound into the body increased the dose.

"See the person behind you? He and I will torture you mercilessly. Since you are a masochist, you may get disgusting sense of enjoyment out of it. Now get up."

The Joker replied, "I move, for no man,"

Someone laughed. Voldemort knew immeadiatly who it was, courtesy of his mastery over the super sensory charm.

"Ah yes. Edward Nashton. Joker, do you know that this, man right here emulated you on the streets of Gotham. Do you recognize him?"

The Joker shook his head.

"Well, he is the Riddler, a common criminal, but who is supposed to have one of the finest minds on the planet. And here is Ra's Al Ghul, the third greatest wizard on earth and founder of the League of Shadows. Here is Osama Bin Laden, leader of Al Qaeda, and his second in command, Ayman al- Zawahiri. Here is Kim Jong Il, leader of North Korea. Here is George W Bush, I am sure that you have little faith in the government either(The Joker was going tomention that he already left office, but thought the better of it). Here is Frank Castle, a very highly trained vigilante who has been working underground since the 1970s..."

Voldemort went on like this, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. The Joker was such a peculiar capture that perhaps he felt that giving him an introduction was necessary. Or perhaps he was just showing his Death Eaters the worth of their plunder.

"All of you are dangerous, and will be monitored by me. You will serve my demands. But first, a little legilimency."

Voldemorts highly trained sentries preformed the mind reading technique on all of the captives, and Voldemort himself tried it on arguably the most dangerous and powerful one, Ra's Al Ghul. He resisted Voldemorts attempts at first, and the cruciatus curse had little effect on him, but he eventually was able to read his mind. His mind focused on skewed views on justice, and morality. He went over his "death' at the hands of Batman, Bruce Wayne.

Even most wizards had at least heard of Bruce Wayne, and Voldemort had heard of him a few years after he defeated Harry Potter. He disappeared for seven years, then returned to retake control of his birthright.

"Interesting", muttered Voldemort.

The sentry who was performing on the Joker, however, couldn't find anything useful. Since he was insane, none of his memories could be taken to be accurate.

"You don't need to sift through my mind, I am more than happy to tell you how I got these scars."

The burly sentry smacked him hard across the face, and the Joker simply mocked him through corrosive laughter.

Voldemort suspected this, and he didn't bother to "interview" him. All he needed was for him to be free and wreak havoc on Gotham.


	7. Chapter 7

One would wonder why Lord Voldemort would need captives at all. If he could easily capture muggles who otherwise were extremely well protected, why would he need them here? Also, why is he on the edge of a wood near Strathyre? He could sit on his throne at Hogwarts and truly be in a place he'd call home.

Also, the captives were much harder to comprehend than initially thought out. The Joker was giving the most trouble, as his memories flipped back and forth. Plans concerning destruction were valuable, but not much else. He was also impervious to being mind controlled, as his will was too powerful. Many of the captives minds were. Frank Castle, a 58 year old muggle who dons the nickname "Punisher", was also impervious to the imperio curse, and he was highly resistent to the pain manifested by the crucio curse. Prime Minister of Russia Vladimir Putin was also highly resistent, as well as a number of the captured terrorists such as Abu Doha and other criminals like Whitey Bulger and Jonathan Kramer(another double identity wacko, he calls himself "The Jigsaw Killer").

There were dementors also guarding the area, but they stayed on the sidelines as to not interrupt the memory conjuring process.

"Sir?" Eddie Eagle, one of the wizard sentries, tried to get the Dark Lords attention.

In his high clear voice, he looked up from perhaps the most dangerous of the captives, Ra's Al Ghul, whom Voldemort personally captured himself after a long struggle.

"Yes?"

"What are we going to do with the memories that we extracted?" He was terribly nervous, only a kid, and thus a little naïve enough to imply that the narcissistic psychopaths plot was convoluted.

Voldemorts face contorted into a slight grin. He replied

"Why we are using the memories to gain traction over the enemies who nearly defeated us in the Battle of Bargoed."

The Battle of Bargoed was a protracted urban battle between the Death Eaters and the Pyrrics, a splinter group of Death Eaters vying for control who turned and fled Britain as early as 1999. Many of them are in the United States and have a hit and run style of terrorism against Voldemorts legions. They have also made serious threats against discovering Voldemorts last Horcrux, something of which terrified the otherwise arrogant leader. The battle had cost the lives of at least 50 muggles, and brought the muggle government into a tailspin of fear and political repression.


	8. Chapter 8

It was nearly morning, but the sky was a charcoal gray. Dementors do that.

Lord Voldemort had instructed all of the Borderers as well as the other Death Eaters present to compile a list of memories and to magically "tag" all of the captives and then to round them all up in a paddock. Voldemort by this point did not need a cauldron(pensieve) to digest the memory, all he had to do was drink the tube of liquid memory, and experience it that way.

"Ain't he scared of someone trying to roughhouse him while he's all passed out like that?"

"He's the fucking Dark Lord, what does he have to worry about?"

The young Death Eaters were still bringing the remaining muggles that he had chosen into the paddock. You might have called it a Who's Who of all the filth in the world. There were heads of state/dictators(occasionally the two terms being synonymous with the person, such as Vladimir Putin or Chinas Vice President Xi Jinping), terrorists such as Bin Laden, numerous high profile criminals(The Joker: Hey Frank!), and outright psychopaths like The Joker and The Riddler.

Eddie had gotten distracted at doing his job while he stared at Gretchen Hawkins. She noticed him and gave a quick smile and a wave while pushing arms dealer Viktor Bout by wands edge into the paddock. Eddie sighed. How could he ever have the nerve to talk to her when he couldn't possibly be a good date? Eddies best friend Troy had gotten done with his job and ran over to him(Though with help. His mark, Frank Castle, somehow stole his wand from him and was resistant to the Crucio curse, so Troy had to get Sentries to pike his ass until he relented).

"Did you see that? I was nearly killed!"

Eddie unloaded on him; "Muggles are fucking animals mate. The smartest ones, you should be more careful, but with the lack of training we get, I'm not surprised."

"We've got plenty of experience mate. Hey, who was your mark?"

"Some bloke who is head of what the muggles call, 'The International Monetary Fund'."

"You look really depressed, what's the problem?"

"This life. I just want more out of it. Other fifteen year olds don't have to go through what we do."

"Yeah, I know." Troy sighed, he wanted a brownie.

Eddie stared at The Dark Lord in a trance, his eyes rolled back yet standing upright. Even to him there was a sense of evil surrounding Voldemort.

"I mean, what's the point of all of this? He basically controls the world, he can't die, why is he so worried about some assholes who hit and run away?"

"The Pyrrhics need to be stopped or they'll find his horcrux. We trained these doggies so that they'll be on the lookout for them so we don't have to. I think they are going to be on the lookout for suspicious actions from the magical community."

"But there's no magic in a lot of areas. Gotham City purportedly doesn't have any."

"They do, that's how they found that Joke guy."

The Joker had just gouged out the eyes of Jonathan Kramer, the Jigsaw Killer, who was screaming loudly and was finally silenced by a quick "Avada Kedavra" by one of the sentries. _Hahahahahahahaha_

Eddie turned around from the scene and said: "But none of this makes any sense. Why did we have to lock them all up in a stable? Why can't we just get wizards to infiltrate everything and run it that way?!"

Troy laughed. "I wouldn't bang a muggle, that's like banging a sheep or something."

The cattle were getting restless, especially the Castro brothers. They forgot who was in charge of Cuba in their absence.

"No, not that. I mean we have to do it like the muggles did it when they colonized everything. This pure blood shit is madness? When do we get to fucking sleep?"

A mushroom cloud enveloped the sky near Voldemorts base, and everyone died.

"Mister Wayne. Mister Wayne!"

Bruce awoke with a terrible feeling of pain all over him. He was in a bedroom that he did not recognize but assumed was Kingsleys. Kingsley Shacklebolt was the one who shook him awake. A woman was right beside Bruce performing incantations and was waving a meter around his anked body.

Bruce recognized that it was a smaller, sleeker version of a geiger counter which one of Wayne Enterprises divisions produces, and he knew he had radiation poisoning.

Fox was there, as well as several dozen other wizards. A redheaded fellow maybe a few years younger than Bruce was there, as well as someone clearly related to him, probably his father, who was balding.

When the woman finished her incantations, she looked at him and gave an ingenuine smile. "The Joker and several wizard terrorists had dropped a nuclear bomb near Strathyre, Scotland. We were all poisoned. My name is Hermione Granger. I just cured you of everything, so don't worry."

"The Joker was broken out of Arkham by Death Eaters?"

"No, he somehow found a way to disapparate out of his cell and fed polyjuice potion to someone and stuffed him in his own cell." Hermione had a distressed look on her face, as if she were about to cry.

"Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, WAKE UP!" The Joker slapped him across the face and finally he woke up. Lord Voldemort was tied to a bed in the middle of the woods. It was early evening.

"You want to know how I got these scars?"

The Dark Lord was never more terrified than was now.

"I had a job as a stand up comedian and...aw screw it. We all know that Tommy Riddle Widdle only thinks about himself. And Harry Potter of course." The Joker was licking his lips and contorting his head as he spoke, and then reached under the bed. There were barrels of oil everywhere.

The Joker pulled out the lifeless body of Harry Potter. He shook Harrys hand to pantomime him waving, and then disregarded him.

The Joker spoke to him right to his face, then began walking around the bed brandishing a knife. Voldemort tried to disapparate, but remembered that he put anti disapparation charms around the premises for Ra's Al Ghul.

"Lets get down to the important stuff Voldy. When it comes down to it, you are a big kid in the sandbox. You hid Potters body in New Orleans, in celebration of the giant attack several years ago. After that crazy hurricane I found it and dropped the word off with some Creole bastards trying to make a buck. They undid your spell, and voila, I blew them all to smithereens. Potter included, but there's something you took for granted. Anger. Potter came back to life, and I convinced him to face the truth. You know, we both have a lot in common."

He kicked Potters corpse and moved on. "We both have enemies who think that there are rules. It's as clear as day with magic around that there are no rules. Nature doesn't even follow it's own rules. Oh it does, but it goes out drinking and forgets about them sometimes. That's how wizards are born!"

The Joker approached Voldemort again, his face and his knife inches from his. "Life's a joke, and you treat it with deadly earnestness."

" Life's no fun when you have to waste all your time worrying about clothes that aren't there, and you really are the Emperor Without Clothes."

The Joker tossed the knife at Voldemort with pinpoint accuracy, leaving an awful pain in Voldemorts forehead, and he cried out in terror.

The Joker walked away casually, and at a safe distance, pressed the detonator button.


	9. Chapter 9

"Check."

"Your ploy was impressive, I must admit."

"Which one? The one where I put you in check, or the one where I checkmated Tom Riddle?"

"Both. I haven't had someone seriously challenge me in chess since 1562, and I think that you have a great natural talent for strategical thinking."

"I'm just a person who likes to fuck up people's plans. I am an agent of chaos."

Ra's looked up from the game and stared at The Joker. "Are you sure you want to be telling me that?"

"You're the one that showed up at my doorstep." The Joker was still licking his lips. Most people never got used to it, but Ra's found it endearing somehow. Was endearing the right word? Ra's discovered long ago that he was a sociopath, long before the word even came into use. Endearing wasn't the right word. No, he found it "sincere".

_I am the punishment of God...If you had not committed great sins, God would not have sent a punishment like me upon you_.

Maxims like these echoed throughout both men. One was trying to create order out of chaos, the other was trying to make chaos out of order, but both were working towards the same particular goal together: To destroy. Not out of malice, or evil, though in The Joker's case evil may not have been such a bad thing. The ends were realized out of ideology.

"I don't recall you being around when we were first infiltrating Gotham."

"I'm more of a lone wolf. I keep to myself mostly."

"Is this when you learned of the magical menace known as 'Lord' Voldemort?"

"Yes. 'Lord' Voldemort is infamous among the magical population. They're a very selfish lot, no different than the rest of humanity, but with the added delight of their hypocrisy being more transparent."

"Indeed."

The chess game wore on in a traditional fashion, until they had achieved a Lucena. One of them was destined to lose the chess game.

"You know, you could kill me right now." The Joker was licking his lips again.

"I could. Unfortunately, I would probably regret it. You cut out a lot of your competition from Gotham. And for me you cut out world leaders. Ingenious. You also created a Horcrux for yourself."

Ra's smiled. He deduced this simple fact while analyzing The Joker's methodology. He always has a trump card. His games are not unlike what those on the internet like to call "The Xanatos Gambit".

"I don't believe in the concept of souls. I'm pretty sure that what keeps you anchored to this world is probably some demonic force, as is magic , ultimately."

"Magic is just what more powerful beings call a doggie bag" replied Ra's.

"I don't get the joke", said The Joker

"Yes you do. Magic is a reminder of the power of gods and devils. I don't prefer dabbling in the stuff myself, but of course I didn't put it past me to make a horcrux too. What I want to know, is how you found Harry Potter."

"Oddly enough, I found him in the Narrows."

Ra's looked up. He moved his Rook, which if it had been a Wizard's Chess rook would have had a look of horror on it's face. Rf2, it has to be.

"He was in an old treasure chest. You see, Voldemort remembers being in an orphanage after his mom died, and his dad abandoned him." The Joker predictably licked his lips again.

"The orphanage was pretty bad, but they sometimes did nice things like take the kids to the zoo or to the movies or whatever. There was an end of the year trip, I'm betting, and it was to Gotham City. The Narrows was home to Captain Kidd's buried treasure, or it was before someone pilfered it. Based on what I know about the other horcruxes, which were stored in other items of importance, like Helga Hufflepuff's goblet, he obviously picked places he found important. Potter was the very last horcrux."

Several positions had been made during this explanation, a flurry if you will. Now Ra's was preparing to build a bridge, as Nimzowitsch would have it.

"I suppose I don't want to hear about your lurid means of brainwashing."

"No." The Joker mouthed the word twice.

"And he died in the nuclear explosion, only to come back to life. I wonder why. Does he love you?"

"A little bit."

What the Joker didn't tell Ra's was that Harry Potter was transmuted to look identical to The Joker. He killed Voldemort, thus fulfilling the prophecy. Also, the Ra's Al Ghul at the explosion site was obviously a decoy.

"I win", said Ra's, smiling.

He stood up to shake the Joker's hand.


End file.
